Bushwalk Australia

After breaking a ski binding cable on a recent ski trip I managed to ski back to base with an improvised repair made with a piece of nylon cord. I thought it would be good to make a repair kit as a contingency for future ski trips as I can no longer obtain replacement cables.

I made cable connectors from bicycle spokes that could be used with a cord as a substitute for a broken cable. This arrangement maintains the original spring function and screw adjustment of binding tension. However, it was specific to one particular binding (Reva Rottefella, which is now obsolete).


As a more universal repair option, I have made a simple cord repair kit that uses a slice of a motorbike's inner tube in the loop. This addition provides spring action, easy adjustment and quick heel engagement for getting in and out of the binding.
It should be suitable for all ski bindings that use a 75mm duckbill fitting. As an example of this, the photo below shows the repair applied to a 7tm Power Tour binding (that otherwise does not use a cable).


I hope these ideas might help with repairs when others have a cable break while out backcountry skiing. The kit is best prepared at home so that it can be quick to do a repair in the snow. For more details, please see:
https://timtinker.com/binding-cable-repair-field-repairs-to-ski-back-to-base/




Tim

telemarktim wrote:

After breaking a ski binding cable on a recent ski trip I managed to ski back to base with an improvised repair made with a piece of nylon cord. I thought it would be good to make a repair kit as a contingency for future ski trips as I can no longer obtain replacement cables.

I made cable connectors from bicycle spokes that could be used with a cord as a substitute for a broken cable. This arrangement maintains the original spring function and screw adjustment of binding tension. However, it was specific to one particular binding (Reva Rottefella, which is now obsolete).


As a more universal repair option, I have made a simple cord repair kit that uses a slice of a motorbike's inner tube in the loop. This addition provides spring action, easy adjustment and quick heel engagement for getting in and out of the binding.
It should be suitable for all ski bindings that use a 75mm duckbill fitting. As an example of this, the photo below shows the repair applied to a 7tm Power Tour binding (that otherwise does not use a cable).


I hope these ideas might help with repairs when others have a cable break while out backcountry skiing. The kit is best prepared at home so that it can be quick to do a repair in the snow. For more details, please see:
https://timtinker.com/binding-cable-repair-field-repairs-to-ski-back-to-base/




Tim

The universal binding repair kit was recently used successfully for a week-long backcountry ski trip on the Bogong High Plains, luckily not on my skis this time. It worked flawlessly when the cable on a friend's Targa G3 binding broke at the end of our first day out. My friend reported that the feel of the modified binding was indistinguishable from the original one.

I have added a little video of the easy lifting of the heel tensioner fitting into place (to the post in the above link ) if you are interested. It made the binding very easy to step in and out of.
Tim